Ten Things Sora Hates About Valentine's Day, And One Thing He Doesn't
by chibitzee
Summary: Valentine's Day can be a total pain in the arse. Trust Sora Leonhart on it, he knows. Besides the shitstorm of pink and the endless teasing, in the middle of it all is his painful pining for his best friend Roxas Strife. What's this plan of Sora's to win him over? Why the heck is Roxas so mad? Could they really turn a disastrous overrated holiday into the best day of February ever?


**Privet, a very sleepy ChiiRyeeBiee here. Happy Valentine's Day to all the celebrants, I hope you have a great day whether or not you are celebrating! Phew, oh my god, this story was such a massive rollercoaster to write and I enjoyed every single bit of it. xD A truckload of thanks to A Lonely Dreamer, with whom I've been collaborating with for the last two to three weeks or so to get this posted today! You are amazing, my friend! You have my love!** ❤︎

 **Firstly, to clarify things.** **ᶘ ᵒᴥᵒᶅ** **Yeah! First collab! I had so much fun doing this that I certainly need to do another! This oneshot Valentine's story is a collaboration with A Lonely Dreamer, and we've decided to write two different stories with similar plotlines and dialogue from our baes' different perspectives. This is based on Sora's POV, and on Lonely's profile, you'll find Roxas'. Please, please, please** _ **check**_ **him out! He writes amazing RokuSora and referring to this collab in particular, you'll find that you just can't read one without the other (Roxas' insight is beautiful, promise)**

 **I do not own Kingdom Hearts; yes, Roxas and Sora are mine at heart. DLDR, this story contains yaoi, a lot of curse words, innuendos, might give you a feel of emotions and is pretty fluffy despite it all. I hope you enjoy reading it!**

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 **Ten Things Sora Hates About Valentine's Day, and One Thing He Doesn't**

 **Summary:** Valentine's Day can be a total pain in the arse. Trust Sora Leonhart on it, he knows. Besides the shitstorm of pink and the endless teasing, in the middle of it all is his painful pining for his best friend Roxas Strife. What's this plan of Sora's to win him over? Why the heck is Roxas so mad? Could they really turn a disastrous overrated holiday into the best day of February ever? Soroku/Valentine's Day collab with A Lonely Dreamer, yaoi oneshot

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 _1) I hate Valentine's Day because everything's pink._

Pink.

The bulletin board background is a terrible hot pink.

For Destiny High students, there's a deeper meaning to it rather than a change of background colour alone (even one who hardly pays attention to the bulletin board would be able to notice its transition of usual sky blue to FREAKING HOT PINK), and as it's the thirteenth of February, it's... kind of understandable.

Still. The overload of the rather effeminate colour burns the eyes. If only it was just the bulletin board. Come tomorrow, the entire school will be covered in loveheart-patterned streamers and carmine red, the stereotypical representation of _love_.

 _"Student Representatives: Come to Room E4 now to assist with tomorrow's Valentine's Day booth!"_

 _"Be prepared, send your love! The school art club proudly presents their homemade Valentine's cards: one dollar for six! Every dollar earned goes to Destiny High's library fundraiser!"_

"…Eh." Sora Leonhart scrunches his nose and properly hoists his bag strap back on his shoulder. Nothing useful on the board today – not even news about hockey. He stares at it a bit longer then closes his eyes, waiting to hear that familiar jingle of keys approaching him as they do every school morning.

 _How should I say hi today? Give him a hug? Another language? Maybe we could talk about this pink overload, ha ha! Valentine's Day is tomorrow… hnn…_

.

.

.

…and it's taking a while. Maybe… Roxas is running late? He and the blonde – the bulletin board had been their meeting spot for as long as he could remember. Sora checks the time on his watch and is about to take out his phone when he's surprised by two hands squeezing his shoulders.

"GAAAAHH–! Don't– d-don't do that! You scared me, that was like getting shocked, for goodness sake!"

"Sorry." A pair of cerulean eyes avoid his scrutinizing gaze. "Were you waiting long? I've been standing a metre from you for a while now, I'm surprised you didn't notice."

"Your keyc–"

The blonde holds out the lanyard of several keychains he always wears around his neck and shakes it. "You wound me. I can't believe you won't be able to notice your own best friend's presence without these. What's got you so distracted anyway?"

Sora watches him glance at the bulletin board and awaits his reaction. When Roxas scoffs, the azure-eyed teen's almost glad. There's this weird feeling in the pit of his stomach that could be associated with a deep… sense of longing… maybe… _this year would be…_

"Oh. The hot pink has returned, huh. _Right._ Tomorrow's… that day. Twenty four hours of disgust and distraction." The blonde turns to him with a changed mood that, unbeknownst to him, will last for longer than an hour. "Come on then, we still have to grab our things. God knows how annoying it is that I have to walk to another corridor to get to your locker. And it's all because that Riku-bastard refuses to swap with me even though Kairi's at my corridor. Stupid."

Leaving him to ramble ahead of him, Sora follows, keeping his mouth shut as he stares at the blonde's back.

 **~o~**

 _2) I hate Valentine's Day because everyone's paired up besides me._

For as long as he could remember, Roxas has always been Sora's beloved best friend. There was this incident in kindergarten where he'd tripped over on the way to the playground and, being the clumsy youngin he was, some blue-eyed blonde was luckily there to help him tie his shoes. And as is the case with most best friends, the two tell each other everything, come to each other's houses as though it were their own and share somewhat similar interests.

Almost.

God, it was all Selphie's fault. If she hadn't made this weird comment about her getting together with Tidus after ten years or so, he wouldn't have started making insights on his own relationship with Roxas. "You know, they say best friends are always meant for each other. Look at Riku and Kairi and Olette and Hayner. Those two couples are so hashtag relationship goals. And if push comes to shove, who knows? Maybe Roxas and yourself might get there someday."

("Pfft! Yeah right! We're just friends." was what he remembered responding back to her. Little did he know, he'd start seeing the cerulean-eyed teen in a different light six months later. Ugh.)

"…Get a goddamn room! I swear, if I see another kissing couple, I'm going to start a fundraiser to ban school on the month of February."

It isn't until he hears Roxas calling out that Sora realizes they're already at his locker corridor. It's way too crowded this early in the morning, and one can only conclude it's because of tomorrow's "preparations". Already, those who are a part of the council are dragging pink and red decorations behind them to line the ceiling with. And what's with that sign about a Valentine disco…? Well then…

There's a hand that grabs his to prevent him from wandering off in the crowd. "Sora, what's up with you today? You're not getting distracted by all this like all those other bigots, are you?"

"W-Well, it's kind of hard not to notic–"

"Sora, Roxas!" A female voice interrupts him before he comes face-to-face with his pretty red-haired friend. Kairi seems to be brandishing a new bow she'd gotten from her beloved aquamarine-eyed boyfriend. She looks amazing as always in her summer school uniform, but what Sora couldn't miss is the subtle amount of makeup she's wearing. "Have you guys seen Riku? He told me to meet him to discuss our afterschool double date plans later. Oh, I'm so excited! Says it's a pre-Valentine thing."

"No, we haven't seen your stupid boyfriend." Roxas answers for him before he could say anything. "Hmm, _I don't know…_ Maybe he's having an affair with that black-haired girl he seems to be interested in in Social Studies! I swear, everyone here's fucking February-crazy and it's frankly pissing me off."

"Roxas." The brunette speaks up and tugs on his shirt.

"Wow, Roxas. Are you on your man PMS or something? Clearly even the simplest of questions offend you so _fine_ , I'll go talk to someone else." Kairi narrows her eyes at him and sidesteps her way out towards the end of the corridor.

She looked like she wanted to say something further to the both of them, but because of Roxas' temper she never got a chance to. "Are you alright, Roxas? You're way too volatile this morning."

"Oh, so it's my fault everyone's being a pain in the behind." When they make it directly to his locker, he leans on the next one and growls. With his locker combination out of the way and his backpack open and hanging off one shoulder, Sora begins to sift for today's equipment. On the door of his locker is the Leonhart teen's timetable, several reminders on blue post-it notes and a picture of Roxas and himself. The brunette's just waiting for the day the former would find out about the heart he's drawn around their photo with a permanent marker: _R + S_ also written at the bottom. Not today it seems.

"I know. February is kind of weird. But you didn't have to say those things to Kairi. She was just asking about Riku." he mutters, bagging books, paper pads and his gym clothes.

"More like rubbing in the fact that us singles have practically no one, so come Valentine's Day, they'll think they're so superior with their freaky shit romance. Oh, yes, _afterschool date plans!_ Don't get me wrong, Sora. I'm not mad they are together, I'm just… mad."

Mad.

It sounds like a _jealous_ mad to him. Roxas has never really bothered with couples before. As far as Sora was concerned, the cerulean-eyed teen didn't care about love whatsoever. Although he's fond of his beloved best friend, Sora knows nothing good would ever come out of telling the boy of his secret feelings, so he's never tried before because the blonde was never interested.

Odd. But who knows, right? Maybe Sora's in the dark and Roxas is secretly crushing on someone he doesn't know about. Lately, he has been talking to Naminé too often. _Ouch._ Just the thought of it… kind of really sucks. It sucks to the point that he starts to feel a terrible tugging feeling in his chest but he's going to ignore it because it doesn't matter anyway.

"S-So, err. I t-take it you now hate Valentine's Day with a passion, then."

Roxas looks at him like he's grown a second head or something. "No. It's not that I hate Valentine's Day. Because I _don't_ care. But all the effort put into making all those decorations and cards could be of better use if they were doing something a lot more beneficial than celebrating people's pathetic love lives."

"It sounds like you _care_ a lot more than you let on." He tells his friend. _Shit, now that makes me sound like a jerk. Why did I say that? It just came out of the blue!_ _Damn it, jealous self!_

"What are you getting on, Mr I'm-So-Distracted? Let me guess, you're thinking of celebrating this year's Valentine's Day, huh. Wow."

…Sora kind of is. Like, five percent. Or ten. Okay, _fifteen_ percent, final answer. Months of crushing on his best friend makes him want to do something, no matter how insignificant it is. The brunette was no expert on love, but he's been with Roxas forever. He knows the do's and don'ts better than anyone else, and he doesn't have to tell Roxas anything if that's how it'll go. There are secret admirers for a reason.

"Of course. Hockey star Sora Leonhart always gets locker fanmail, and don't even try to deny it. Who's it for then? Some bitch you'll leave me for? Go ahead. It's not like I care shit." If there's something Roxas was known for, it's his neverending, pissed-off rambles. The good and the bad, they say, and despite all the blonde's saying, Sora wishes he could hug the mad away.

"Okay, you have to stop ranting at me. I've done nothing wrong."

"Yeah, says the guilty party. Whatever, Sora. Get into the valentine craze all you want. I may be the one without the valentine I _want_ but at least I'm not conforming like all the freaks out here."

…oh.

OH.

So Roxas… does like someone. Yeah. _Of course._ Sora should have known, damn it. He's Roxas' _best friend_ after all, ha ha, this should be one of those crucial pieces of information they HAD to know about one another. What other reason could there be for the blonde to hate February so much if he didn't like someone?!

The latter doesn't seem to want to do anything about it though, so it's likely this person's someone he can't seem to reach. God, does he _know_ the feeling. But who… who couldn't the Strife teen get? He was talented, humorous, intelligent, a daring and kind soul. Sure, he's a little edgy with all his sarcastic remarks, but other than that…

There's nothing else Sora wants to say because the tugging feeling's solidified beyond compare, so he bites his lip instead and shuts his locker door.

"Hurry up then, we're going to be late. I still need my stuff, you know."

 **~o~**

 _3) I hate Valentine's Day because suddenly I start daydreaming about what should be, and start hating what isn't._

English class with Ursula couldn't get any loooonger. He's got Italian after lunch, then PE, and safe to say, Sora enjoys learning more about foreign formal greetings and working himself to death with laps than he does listening to the woman drone on about the language features in H. G. Wells' _The Sea Lady._

"At the end of Chapter Five, we see the quote, _"And the Sea Lady said scarcely anything, and watched Chatteris and Adeline, and more particularly Chatteris in relation to Adeline."_ Now, what Wells is trying to depict through this line is the Sea Lady's possessive nature, and her slowly-growing jealousy towards Adeline. We all know that blah blah…"

What? Nonsense! Of course all people get jealous when they see someone they like associating with someone else – it doesn't make them entirely possessive! Where in the text does it depict that? Sora refuses to say any of this though since Ursula's a mean soul when it comes to students' opinions. This would also suggest he's actually _paying attention_ to the lesson, and boy, would Roxas laugh at him for that.

 _"You actually read the novel? Darn, I can't believe this. Are you turning into a nerd?"_ He can already hear those comments coming. But the blonde loved reading, and he was always in the honours list so Sora couldn't help but want to catch up. How is he going to get into the same university as the genius teen if he didn't at least try…?

The page full of notes in front of the brunette has been left abandoned for thoughts about his endearing best friend. Like those hands of his, and how warm they are when they grab his own out of nowhere. The blonde's always been fair-skinned, and the sunshine colour of his hair really brings out the sapphire-like light in his eyes. Then there's his really soothing low accent, like a siren's singing; a distraction for all those who hear it…

 _Mi amio, sei bello, caro…_

.

.

.

Oh ha ha. Hear him now, inwardly waxing poetry and Italian about the boy in front of him in English class. Ridiculous.

 _Who's on your mind right now, Roxy?_ Sora internally voices as he studies the creases on the back of his friend's shirt. The latter still seems angry about this morning, if stabbing his eraser with a pen continuously and the crazy jibberish he's muttering to himself's anything to go by. Ursula's got her beady eyes on the blonde and the azure-eyed teen's about to warn him, but the witch strikes first with a question about the text.

"Mr Strife, a quote from the book that portrays Melville's thoughts of the Sea Lady, please."

Everyone's staring at Roxas now as he pays the eraser more mind than he does with her. It's a wonder too, because usually Sora's the one slacking off between the two of them. Catching the words, "goddamn February" from his friend's silent rant makes Sora start giggling. Oh brother… A face-off between Ursula the _Terrifying_ and Roxas _Knight in Shining Armour_ Strife and the older boy's audacity to be distracted in her class comes from hating the current month so much.

"Mr Strife, I won't ask you again!"

Finally hearing her address him, the cerulean-eyed teen sits up and shrugs. "Mermaids are the worst creatures in mythology because they're stupid and ugly?"

"Hmph! Lucky guess, Mr Strife, please pay attention!"

.

.

.

In Roxas' defense, the answer fit the question perfectly… though not in proper context. Maybe that's what makes Sora cover his mouth to keep himself from really laughing. If H. G. Wells had actually written that in the book, hah! Sora would raise an imaginary glass of wine to him. Hearing the brunette snicker prompts Roxas to turn around and blow a raspberry at him for finding his humiliation funny.

This was the best friend the Leonhart teen adored so much. Him in his February-hating, currently-pen-chewing, sarcastic glory. Sora doesn't care if he likes someone, because like the Sea Lady with Chatteris, it wouldn't make the blonde any less significant. So maybe he's going to _have to do something_ to make sure whoever the heck Roxas is pining for goes on a date with him someday, but he's still his best friend and Sora still has feelings for the blue-eyed wonder.

Valentine's Day huh… Just a simple, secret card that doesn't have to look like it's from him would do. He'll slip it in the guy's locker, maybe loiter around and pretend he hadn't sent it when the teen finds out. He could even get Xion, master of calligraphy writing and forgery to write it for him, and then that way, at least one of them's going to be more loved than the other come tomorrow.

 **~o~**

 _4) I hate Valentine's Day because people tease me for being alone._

Roxas is teasing him again, Sora notes as they make their way from English to the cafeteria. Long story short, they're walking side by side when the blonde supposedly picks up on a foul smell and he fans the air with a hand.

"Oh man, what's that smell?"

Sora attempts to sniff around too and comes up with nothing. "Huh? I don't smell anything?"

The Strife teen leans towards him and reckons otherwise. "Oh! Don't worry, it's just you, Sora." He tells the brunette later on. Sourly irritated at his friend's jeering, the "stinking" boy in question blows up his cheeks and strides off for his lunch.

Jerk. Sometimes there are just days Sora can't stand him. Like today.

Today's lunch special includes a heart-shaped burger steak meal and a side of boiled vegetables, topped with mushroom sauce and melted cheddar cheese. Tch, heart-shaped burger steak. You couldn't get any more pre-Valentine than that. He's sitting at a free table not too far from Kairi and Riku (bless their souls for saving him one) when his very best friend eventually takes the seat beside him and attempts to make peace by tugging on his hair spikes.

How could Sora hate him further when the cerulean-eyed teen is being affectionate with him like that? "Come on, Sor. You know you're still my favourite person."

"As long as you keep petting me, _fine_." the brunette turns and beams at him anyway.

Surely their interaction doesn't escape the eyes of the happy couple sitting to the left of them because Kairi snickers to herself and comments, "Oh, get a room!", the aquamarine-eyed teen nodding along. It's just a shame Roxas never goes down without the last word because he stops playing with Sora's hair to make a retort. The Leonhart teen tries not to miss the loss so much.

"I see you've found Riku, Kairi. So whose mouth did he have his tongue in this time, hmm?"

"God, you are such an arse, Roxas!" she frowns. "It's a wonder Sora can stand being near you for more than a few minutes at a time."

The brunette shoves a piece of burger steak in his mouth so he doesn't have to contribute to the argument. They're always doing this, geez. Riku's also busying himself by sipping on a soda, clearly entertained by the two clashing individuals' daily antics. Oh, great.

"You know," the girl ponders out loud, "if you hate being single on Valentine's Day so much, why don't you ask _someone_ out? That is why you're being a cranky pants, isn't it?"

Two respective pairs of aquamarine and azure eyes flicker back and forth the redhead and the Strife teen as the atmosphere gradually thickens. Kairi, one, Roxas, zero? She's right though, Sora thinks. Even she's noticed the blonde's hostility, and being the outlet for it this morning, Kairi surely wants payback.

"Pfft. I'll never get the valentine I want, so I think I'll just stick to being an arse, thanks."

Yet another reminder, the brunette blinks away and focuses on his meal, that he really, _really_ should do something to help his friend out with that. Ugh.

Hearty (literally) lunch aside with only a few leftovers (Sora hates beans), the azure-eyed teen's contemplating on letting Xion know he needs her help for tomorrow right away. Normally she's at band practice around this time, or, according to the bulletin board, she could be in a council meeting for that Valentine booth thing whatever...

When he stands up, he can't help catching Roxas' following gaze before the blonde makes a move for his beans.

"So Sora. Who's your valentine gonna be?" A deep voice inquires from beside them. The ever-so-slack Riku is twirling a spoon in his right hand and fiddling with his girlfriend's hair with the other, slightly uninterested.

Sora gulps. "O-Oh?" Voice breaking in the process, he slowly lifts his chin up as faux recovery. "W-Well, umm, I d-don't usually ha-have one, do I?" _Please don't look at me please don't look at me please don't look at me Roxas is right NEXT TO ME I do not want to talk about this!_

"There must be someone you've got your eye on!" Kairi giggles, her gaze on the blue-eyed blonde. _FUCK!_

"Uhhh…" Would it be rude if he walked away, like, right now? Xion's got a tight schedule and Sora also needs some advice from Selphie pronto. Fairly quiet in his seat, the Strife teen bows his head down and is slaughtering his beans with his fork. There's an opening! Go, self, go!

"I have to, uhhh, run now. Duty calls! Bye!" He excuses himself and flails from their table to the waste disposal and to the direction of the bathroom. When he's sure they're not looking at him anymore, Sora leans on the closest wall and sighs. Damn it. He didn't even dodge that subtly enough! Now he knows he's going to have to be careful else his best friend gives him MORE hell for being elusive.

Damn it. Damn it. DAMN IT!

 **~o~**

 _5) I hate Valentine's Day because even my best friend doesn't understand me._

"See ya later, Sora!"

"Bye Sora!"

Dismissal from sixth period gym class is always so weird. "Umm, yeah, you too, some girl…?" He's sweating from head to toe after a demanding game of touch rugby, and really, all the blue-eyed brunette wants to do now is rest. But he's got a shop to go this afternoon, so maybe tonight. Phew!

Sometimes schoolmates from other year groups say their goodbyes to him and, while it's a nice thing, Sora knows his best friend finds it bothersome. Roxas makes it clear, even. Like now.

"What the fuck, Sora. You don't even know them, why the heck do you care?" the sunshine-haired boy tells him every _single_ time. He's a lot more aggressive today though, for reasons that may revolve around "February". Sora's skipping ahead of him on their way outside the school gates when yet another younger underclassman says her farewells.

"It's called being kind, Rox. Try it sometime?"

"While you're the angel, I'm the devil, remember? My blood runs on pessimism and negativity. And lo, what is the angel without his devil?"

"Freak." Sora punches him on the shoulder. "But you're right." _What am I, without you there, Roxas?_

Despite being best friends, the two boys live in opposite sides of town, but that doesn't stop them from walking home together anyway. Today's destination is Sora's quaint little home in a secluded neighbourhood next to Destiny's main park, but with a change of plans, the brown-haired boy's gonna have to cancel.

Xion lives not too far from the mall, and right up ahead three cars further is her ride. At the sight of the two, she waves and flashes Sora a bright smile. "Sora! You're still coming with me today right?"

"Uhh, y-y-yeah! Thanks a lot for waiting for me!" the brown-haired boy skips over to her and pants. So tired, damn it…

As though he'd been burnt, Roxas doesn't try to hide his hurt when he hears this. He stops where he is and glares back and forth between the girl and his popular best friend. Well, uhh, in Sora's defense, Xion invited him for a ride, and he didn't think there was a problem with it since it was convenient! It's a one-way stop to go over to her house before her date plans and write up the card instead of trying to find her tomorrow before school.

Fuck. He should have told the blonde about this immediately after lunch but… Roxas… he was…

"Care to explain why you're dumping me all of a sudden without telling me?" The Strife teen's choice of words cut and convict the sweet brunette of fault all the more.

"Xion lives close to the mall. She said it's fine with her mum if I hitch a ride, and… I'm s-sorry about this, R-Roxas, but you w-won't mind walking home by yourself today, right?" he mutters pathetically. "There's… something I have to do, and I _swear_ , swear on my life, it's not what you think."

 _Damn it damn it damn it damn it damn it!_

Scoffing, Roxas refuses to meet his eyes, looking instead at Destiny High's flag pole behind the school gates. Their usual school flag's been taken down and replaced with a huge HOT PINK heart flag with a red background, in celebration for tomorrow of course. "I see how it is."

 _God, Roxas, please don't use that dejected tone, I'm doing this for you_ , ack, of course he's going to take it the wrong way no matter how much the former says otherwise!

"Sure, why not, go ahead, it's not like I fucking own you now, do I? Go. I'll be surprised if you remember to come to my funeral."

"Roxas–"

"No wait, you probably won't, because who cares, right? Ha ha. I'm just fucking kidding, you fucker. I'm a big boy, I can fucking walk home alone when my best friend decides to make fucking last minute _plans_."

"Roxas, we're just dropping him off to the mall." Xion intervenes, her voice steeled. "After this, I've got a dinner date with Vanitas so we'll have him _home_ in no time. If you want, we could drop you off too. It's not a problem at all."

"Right, right. What fucking ever, this isn't any of my business." Sora knows he's screwed things up because the blonde doesn't even argue anymore, choosing instead to walk away and leave him without a goodbye hug.

"Roxas–"

"No, Sora, shut the _fuck_ up." His best friend's shaking with uncontainable rage as he turns around and spits this at Sora's face. Stunned, the Leonhart teen has to keel back a little to keep himself from saying anymore. What… why… what the heck is wrong with him? When he attempts to reach out one more time, his hand is slapped to the side, the force of contact stinging him. Sora proceeds to avoid the heat of those stormy cerulean eyes.

She knows she's not supposed to be involved, but when Roxas hits Sora, Xion makes it her goal to break the fight off. "Roxas, calm down!"

"No, stay out of this, bitch! Look at me, you bastard." He curses and turns his fury back on Sora, lifting the boy's chin harshly.

"Roxas, st–" But Roxas doesn't stop. There are budding tears of anger in his eyes when he sputters out a final, "This is it, Sora. I'm done."

"Done. D-Done with w-what?"

"You, Sora. I can't do this anymore, I can't– okay, I get it. Those girls who greet you, all your stupid admirers – I'm in the way, aren't I? I've been ruining your potential relationships by being _your_ best friend."

"NO! Roxas, no, what on earth are you talking about–"

"Roxas, for heaven's sake, chill out! You're completely misinterpreting this!" Xion shouts from the sidelines. Her mother's in full view of this fight and she can't even do anything to stop it, god!

"This is hard enough for me as it is, so stop FUCKING interrupting me! I'm done, alright. DONE. He's all yours now, Xion, I won't stop you two being together anymore. So you can make all the plans you want now, because I don't fucking give. I'm done. Screw your Valentine's Day. You're free to fuck each other senseless now without me in the way."

And that was it. Just like that. Aggressively wiping away his tears with the back of his palms, Roxas stomps off, the other two speechless and unable to move. The brunette has to watch his friend go and disappear into another street, only feeling the weight of what happened when the black-haired girl lays a hand on his shoulder.

"Sora, are you alright? Let me take you back home first, you need it."

 **~o~**

 _6) I hate Valentine's Day because choosing the right card and chocolates for someone is way too troublesome._

Roxas… just **dumped** him. Broke things off like it meant nothing. And for what, a _misunderstanding_? He knows it's his fault for keeping silent about his afterschool plans in the first place, but God, the blonde – all that over Valentine's? Was Sora not allowed to have other friends?

 _He's not serious._ They've had similar rows like this for the pettiest things, but Roxas always came back. ALWAYS. And Sora won't dare to let him go. He's been in a foul mood the whole day, so the circumstances are understandable, the brunette convinces himself. He and Xion… together, huh.

Is that… is that what Roxas had been worrying about this whole time? That he'd dare leave him for another person over the overrated lovey-dovey holiday? Never, _how could he_ – how could his best friend of eleven years think so low of him? Sora's suddenly torn between staying hurt and angry over the matter to instantly brainstorming how he could make things right again.

"No. I've caused you enough trouble, Xion. I'll be fine if you just drop me off."

She seems hesitant, but nods nonetheless. "Are you sure? I'm sorry about what happened, I know I triggered something in him so it's my fault."

"No, no!" He protests. "Roxas has been a shit the whole day. I'm always the brunt of his fury, it's… it's n-normal." This time around though, it's _different._ And Xion knows this too, because she takes out her handkerchief and pats it against Sora's watery eyes. He doesn't even know when he's started crying…

.

.

.

"He loves you," is what she says to him when they finally get inside the car and are bombarded by confused questions from the girl's mother on the way to the mall.

"I'm guessing he doesn't want to lose you to anyone, but he's too terrified to act on his own. I bet he's hurting really badly right now because his best friend is one of the most popular guys in the school and he'd just given him up out of jealousy. That's why he hates Valentine's Day so much. He _loves_ you but he can't _have_ you. You know what to do about it though, right Sora?"

It's not a farfetched theory. Xion's not only an expert on calligraphy as she's also got the top marks in tenth grade Psychology. So of all people, _she_ would know. But why wouldn't Roxas just tell him how he feels? _Because he's scared and doesn't want to_ _be rejected._ By his best friend forever nonetheless, since the friendzone's a mile high pit of doom to escape from. Sora's gone through the same, so it's perfectly reasonable.

And why did he react so badly and go so far as to threaten their relationship? _Because_ _if Roxas was doing the dumping, then maybe it wouldn't hurt him so much._ A form of torture too, possibly. _If I'm hurting, then you'll hurt with me._ It's twisted but not uncommon, the way the blonde thinks. Even so, Sora still… loves him for him anyway. How equally twisted they are together.

"I do. If he can't do it, I'll have to be brave enough to make the first move." Sora answers her, eyes cast down on the flaws of his leather shoes. "I still can't believe he would do something like that. _Hurts_ so much."

"Just imagine how hard it is for him now. You're on a pedestal to him, and to everyone else, but he… he just thinks he's average. _Thinks._ " she emphasizes the last word. "He has no idea how privileged he is for getting almost perfect examination marks, but in his mind, you're the world and the one he looks up to."

"Exactly! He's amazing, talented, intelligent, good-looking! Why is he unable to see his worth, the worth I see in him? If anything, I'm the one who's not good enough for him. I'm just… _me_."

Xion doesn't agree. "Now you two are being equally ridiculous. Wouldn't you think so, Mother?"

"Whatever she says, believe her," the woman at the front responds as she turns the next corner to reach the mall drop-off zone. When the vehicle comes to a complete stop, Xion scoots over and opens the door for her friend, reminding him that they'll be around to pick him up in an hour.

"What you do now is all up to you, Sora. I guess you won't need me for forgery now, but I still wish you the best of luck."

"You sound like I'm about to walk to my deathbed or something."

"Maybe." She winks. "Alright then, off you go, you cinnamon roll. Stiff upper lip, take this shopping spree as a chance to really show that dense blonde how you feel. Oh and, take this just because." She hands him a twenty dollar bill. "It's all yours, don't pay me back. You might find something that's way too expensive and then regret it later. Get only the best things for him."

"I will. Have fun planning your dinner date, Xion. Thank you!" _That and get back at Roxas for thinking he can dump me from being his best friend just like that_ , _the jerk. I didn't spend eleven years with him to lose him this way. If he wants me to win him back, then I goddamn_ ** _will_** _._

He doesn't wait for them to leave because he's already sprinting through the doors, his thoughts of celebrating an amazing (possibly going to be one-sided) Valentine's Day with his one and only best friend slash crush despite all odds strengthening his resolve. Kairi's told him that the best and most convenient way to shop is in one of any mall's department stores, because even during worst case scenarios, they're sure to have everything for any event.

.

.

.

Fuck, the main department store is far. Even if he's studied the electronic information directories, he's still gotten positively lost. It's only thanks to the help of this loud woman that he even found his way there, her constant babbling about _half-price shoes_ unconsciously annoying him to no end.

"Here it is…" Sora whispers to himself as he's greeted by shelves and shelves of Valentine-themed cards, chocolates, confectionery and the like upon entering. Of course it's at the front of the store. Valentine's Day is tomorrow. But darn, is it crowded with other shopping individuals…

With the substantial amount of items available, how's he supposed to choose what to give Roxas?

"Excuse me, umm, sorry, coming through… trying to find a card here, uhh…" Great, just great, how do people do this every year…? Is it always this crowded, more like? You'd think they'd a file a neat line at least but noooo, people are just rushing to and fro. Hmph, nice to know that so many people in Destiny aren't going to be alone tomorrow…

The brunette finds himself ushered towards one side of the first Valentine's shelf. It's stacked with humorous cards to euphemistic cards to sweet cards with different poems and even scents on them. He barely misses the hand that reaches out to the shelf from his right when Sora catches a glimpse of the card said stranger had chosen.

It looked nice, with the cute teddy bears on the front or whatever. Sora finds it back on the shelf and picks out one copy, reading what's written out loud to himself.

" _Valentine, there's only one place I want to be on Valentine's Day_ …" The card features two teddy bears sitting on a bench in a simple white drop background. When Sora opens it up, his eyes light up when the teddy on the left begins to move along the bench through some pop-up card mechanism or whatnot until it rests beside the other teddy bear. " _…right next to you, With All My Love…_ "

It's a bit of a bad time to be internally melting from the sweetness (Sora secretly likes these kinds of things) when you're inside a busy department store and in the middle of a demanding crowd. It doesn't stop the azure-eyed teen from daydreaming though. Okay, so on the minus side, Roxas really fucking hates him right now, but what if he doesn't really and like hell Sora would let that boy go. Would the blonde like this card? Is it enough to say both "I'm sorry" and "I love you"? He inwardly envisions the teddy bears sharing their faces; just like the photograph he has in his locker. _A smiling thirteen year old Sora… moving along a bench to stay beside a nonchalant Roxas…_

PFFT. Who knows, there might be other cards around here…

 **~o~**

 _7) I hate Valentine's Day because you have to say goodbye to your savings._

Sora's been through rows and rows of cards but he still hasn't found one he definitely likes. A lot of them are good… most of them are really suggestive (Like that, "I'm _nuts_ about you" and "I _cunt_ live without you" card on the second row… ugh… _shudder…_ so much shudder) while a select few are marked for specific relations like husband or wife. He's finished reading almost sixteen or so love poems in the span of thirty minutes but none of them were what he's looking for. It's either he keeps looking for more or he settles for the teddy bear one, because he does think the card's adorable even if the whole cute factor's not something Roxas is into. Sora ducks away from another hand and sidesteps to the right side of the last row when he accidentally knocks a card out of the shelf with the quick swooshing of his head. Err… whoops?

Sora doesn't pick it up right away. He inspects it from the ground until he notices that the card's got an open window, much like the teddy bear one. Must be another one of those, "open and pull-up" cards. The art style's very vintage, and he doesn't have a lot of space to write his own heartfelt words, but when he starts reading, that's when the brunette knows that yes… this one's the _perfect_ card he's been looking for.

Twenty minutes into his shopping spree and the boy still has to pick out another gift (flowers are out, teddy bears are out, so chocolates… chocolates it is) for Roxas before paying and meeting Xion outside the mall on time. No rush. As the blonde's best friend, Sora knows the cerulean-eyed teen absolutely loves Ferrero Rocher and would die for it (Roxas is a shameless hogger of sweets). He's got a choice between picking a simple pack and a Valentine-edition pack, shaped in either a bouquet or a heart-shaped box. Heart-shaped box it is. Maybe his best friend (still his best friend, damn it) would like one with assorted flavours as well as a box with the original included too.

His phone is buzzing with texts like crazy for some reason. If it's any of his friends, he currently has no time because Sora is queueing in a line behind the department store's express lane. It might be Xion texting to confirm her arrival maybe, or maybe… even Roxas… telling him he's sorry and that he was joking as he always was for what happened earlier on…

"That comes down to 42 dollars, please. Two Valentine's Ferrero Rocher boxes: one assorted, one original? They're 19 dollars each and the card's worth 4 dollars. Your valentine's rather a lucky one, aren't they?" the woman at the express lane tells him with a smile.

"Oh! Uhh, yeah, right. Lucky…" _Truth be told, it's kind of the opposite_ _but…_

But…

But… did she just say it all amounted to 42 dollars? Goodness, he only had 25 bucks with him! Why the heck is Ferrero Rocher so expensive? He pulls out his wallet to pay and recheck the amount he has with him when out falls the twenty Xion gave him earlier on. " _Get only the best things for him_ …" No wonder she's a part of the Council. She's so prepared...

It's five o'clock, give or take some when Sora rushes out of the mall and meets up with the black-haired girl. She's already dressed for her date in a simple navy blue dress that complements her eyes when he sees her. "Got everything you needed? There's a pen in my purse, you could start drafting potential things to say on the way home."

"Of course." His phone remains unanswered as Sora genuinely thanks her for the ride and for helping him out when really she shouldn't have any obligation to do so.

 **~o~**

 _8) I hate Valentine's Day because you have to wait… wait… wait…! Haven't I done enough waiting in my life?_

The Leonhart teen has been calling Roxas for a while now.

It's night time, the stars are glistening out in the sky, blah blah, it's cloudy so Sora can't really see. And he doesn't care, because all he's been doing during the past hour is dialling the blonde's number and waiting for him to pick up. Normally, Rox would always pick up before the second ring. On a sleepy day or in the middle of the night, Roxas picks up exactly on the third. But it's been, what? Six to seven rings before the sudden, " _Rox here. Busy or phone is dead. But most likely busy because my phone's never dead, duh. Hah. Okay whatever, leave a message at the beep–_

 _Roxas is a jerk bastar–_

 _No, Sora, go away, trying to make a voicemail recording here–_

 _Sora is the bestest ev–_ " BEEP. The sound of that recording is both nostalgic and agonizing, with the agony being more prominent because it means that Roxas. Does. Not. Want. To. Talk.

.

.

.

…They were eleven when they both got their phones. Roxas has had that recording ever since. Back then, their voices were still too high, and Sora's still moderately is while Roxas' is currently down an octave. Ugh, why isn't that jerk bastard picking up? If the blonde's really going through this, "We're not friends anymore" phase just to hurt him for what he's done, then _fine_ , Sora's just going to have to show him he doesn't care.

Oh, but he does. Damn it, Sora does care, they're _best friends_ for God's sake. The longest he's gone without contacting Roxas is three days, and that's usually because the Strifes are avid travellers. But other than that, they've always chatted and Skyped and called and whatever the heck even. Sure, he can live without Roxas, but when Sora thinks about the permanence of that phrase it scares him because it's always been the two of them against the world, _together_. Oh boy, what are these ridiculous sentimental thoughts…

Sora's not sure if he should reach out to his other friends because as far as he was concerned, they're already doing something about his situation with Roxas behind his back. Turns out Xion let Kairi know what happened while he was shopping, and those texts from earlier were from the red-haired girl confirming that he was okay and not about to jump of a cliff or something. She… tends to really dote on him…

 _ **Kairinator:**_ _Commencing spam bombardments. Dun worry Sora if you're reading this or not I am your master avenger_

 _ **Kairinator:**_ _Roxas, Roxas, let down your hair. Maybe we can chop his blond locks in his sleep._

 _ **Kairinator:**_ _You ruined our afterschool date plans RoxASS I was so worried bout Sor that I couldn't enjoy, sorry Riku_

 _ **Kairinator:**_ _And yes I blame u cuz it's always your fault buffoonhead_

 _ **Kairinator:**_ _Roxas you fiend come at me_

 _ **Kairinator:**_ _How dare you!_ (╬ಠ益ಠ)

 _ **JustRiku:**_ _Sokay Kai_ ヾ(- -*)

 _ **HaynersGONNAHayne:**_ _penis_

 _ **NamNamNam:**_ _Kai I don't think Sor would like that_

 _ **JustRiku:**_ _PENIS_

 _ **Letty_Lette:**_ _Sora, are you alright?_

 _ **HaynersGONNAHayne:**_ _RIKU PENIS_

 _ **Kairinator:**_ _Roxas you shithole Xion told me bout u making Sor cry AND HITTING HIM come out coward I know you're reading this I'm going to pummel you to death with a spoon_

 _ **Kairinator:**_ _Sora I love you always know that kk. Unlike blonde doucheheads who PRETEND to_

 _ **NamNamNam:**_ _Hey, I'm blonde too_ ʕ•͡-•ʔ And so is Hayner

 _ **JustRiku:**_ _HAYNER PENIS_

 _ **Letty_Lette:**_ _TAKE YOUR PENIS GAME ELSEWHERE YOU FREAKS_

 _ **Kairinator:**_ _Sorry Nami and HayHay_ (ﾉ･ｪ･)ﾉ

Sora momentarily locks his phone and lets the conflicting feelings warring in his heart wash over him. All this… over Valentine's Day. His inner pining… Roxas getting shit-pissed at the world, being dumped and criticized for being single and pushed around in department stores _yet_ still inwardly believing in tomorrow… What a crappy day indeed. Unsure what he's doing at this point in time, Sora checks his phone one last time and speed calls the blonde he loved. Once again he gets the voicemail recording, but this time, instead of hesitating to leave a message for fear he might say something awful in his passion and make things worse, the brunette actually DOES it anyway, the gifts sitting on his table for motivation.

"I'm here, Roxas. If… If you'd just give me a chance to explain," He sits up and walks around to close his bedroom lightswitch as well as turn his nightlight on, "…Oh for fuck's sake, I'm so pissed at you for giving me the cold shoulder right now, you bastardous jerk, I always let you rant at me and say nothing about it but not _today_ , god damn it. You just walked away for fuck's sake! Just walked away like we meant nothing… like this damn friendship's so disposable to you and that HURTS. When I try to text I get so sad and mad that I chuck my phone across the room so I've been calling to make sure you _hear_ how pissed and hurt I am right now but even so I still want to talk to you, you arse, how could you, how could you damn it, I don't know if you're even going to hear this or delete it but I _don't care_ , I know you Roxas, you're probably thinking of skipping tomorrow and if so, fucking go ahead, but just know one thing: I'm sorry, and whatever the heck you're thinking I've done this afternoon with Xion is all a lie. I… I… I know you're hurt too and that you think I don't understand you but… l-look I'm not doing this on the phone if you want answers you'll meet me at the bulletin tomorrow, _Valentine's Day_ or not. I'm running out of time here and don't do anything stupid you freak, if you don't come then I'll just come to your house, fuck you Roxas, you're not getting rid of me that easy, don't you know that I–"

...The recording cuts off before Sora could drop the drastic, "I love you" bombshell, over the phone to Roxas nonetheless. It's a good thing it did. He feels a lot better now letting all of that out, but the inevitability of what he's about to do tomorrow is weighing him down. If Roxas does love him, then Sora's going to have to prove that the blonde's feelings are returned so that his best friend doesn't have to feel insecure anymore. He's probably going to regret ranting at the Strife teen like that but if so, the azure-eyed teen's prepared to make up for it tomorrow, oh _tomorrow_ , it could go a million ways good and a million ways bad.

If by any chance he loses a best friend then it's really all his fault and not the stupid holiday's. Damn the world and this terrible feeling in his stomach… damn the tears in his eyes and the heavy weight in his chest, this fucking _hurts_ when it's not supposed to be but come tomorrow, it'll all be… over.

 **~o~**

 _9) I hate Valentine's Day because you either get rejected or accepted, but on most circumstances, you get rejected. Rejection hurts._

Sora is a walking zombie.

For the love of all things good, he just had to spend hardly enough time sleeping and more time thinking last night. When he woke up at around 2:30am after crying himself to sleep, he'd been unable to return to slumber even after a) trying to play sleep music, b) trying to hypnotize himself (if he hears another, "You feel so _good_ , so very, _very_ good, just _relax_ " recording again, he's going to lose it), c) trying to sleep in several positions including lying in a ninety-degree position with his upper torso on the mattress and his lower torso against the wall and d) doing physical activity. But even with all that, he still couldn't escape his subconscious, still couldn't stop himself from thinking about the many scenarios that could fall into place tomorrow. Would he really be brave enough if push comes to shove?

There's a really bad feeling settling in his stomach and he feels like he's going to be sick, but Sora holds it in for the sake of keeping his breakfast. Kairi, doting mother-friend she was, resumed her continuous texting and checking on him at 6 at the earliest this morning. He left home forgetting the gifts behind so halfway along the street the brunette knew he had to return for them, then there's the bus being delayed…

This is the worst Valentine's morning he's ever had.

Upon his arrival at school, those initial feelings of doubt deep within him suddenly solidify and he hesitates to move forward another step. Once he enters those (disgustingly decorated, pink-streamer'ed) gates, he knows that whatever happens from then on, _happens_ and he'll have no power (or really, no _motivation_ , because if he really wanted to do something, he'd be able to do it) to change it. _Good lord_ , since when had he become the pessimist in the picture?

 **No**. Stop it, STOP IT. He's the only one who could do this, so there's no room for all this negativity. Not Xion, not Hayner, him. He swears the bulletin board has gotten a lot pinker than it was yesterday, and it's probably because even the notices are printed in pink paper. Ugh. He's so tired…

Well, err, he's going to have to wait for the blonde to arrive here until he can't wait anymore. There aren't any benches around this area so the ground will have to do. Leaning against the wall holding up the bulletin, Sora decides at the moment to take out his presents just to inspect them. He'd even made this weird game for himself, haha – for every five minutes that passes by, he'd have to open the card and read it aloud word for word, regardless of who's around to hear him. Speaking of which, all his schoolmates look so unforgivably happy today…

.

.

.

.

.

Roxas doesn't seem like he's coming. Their school bell's about to ring in twenty minutes (ugh, WHERE IS HE) and the normally patient and reserved Sora is feeling unbelievably nervous beyond compare. Check phone, drop by locker to pick up things then look around for his evasive best friend just in case. Xion drops him a text saying she's spotted the (dejected, overly defeated) cerulean-eyed teen going through his locker and Sora thanks her for the tip, mentally telling himself to will his own misery down and replace it with what courage he has left. Roxas was only here for this day to hear what he has to say; the azure-eyed teen wasn't the only one who had woken up so groggily and miserably. He can't let go of this chance now.

The Leonhart teen makes the trek to his (why is there a heart sticker on it CURSE ALL THESE DECORATIONS) locker before dispersing towards the (equally atrocious, fuschia-dominated) technology building in pursuit of his soon-to-be-either-boyfriend-or-ex-best-friend-he-doesn't-really-know-anymore. Surprisingly enough, Roxas is still digging through his (WOW THERE IS A STICKER ON IT TOO ARE YOU SERIOUS) locker for his first and second period equipment when Sora reaches him, the blonde's movements lethargic and limited. He looks horrible. His hair's not gelled back and his uniform is all creased, and over anything he feels at that moment Sora wants to do nothing but hold him.

It's just too bad his mouth runs faster than his thoughts. "You've got a lot of nerve leaving me in the bulletin waiting for you. Is that some sort of show that you really don't need me anymore, some cruel satisfaction of yours to hurt me further for what you think I've done?"

"Go the fuck away, Sora. I don't need this right now."

"Well neither do I! How dare you, damn it. How dare you think you can end our eleven-year friendship just like that over a stupid misunderstanding?" Sora spits at him, payback for the hurt he's been dealt yesterday afterschool. _I'm not supposed to be angry, I'm not supposed to be angry, I'm not supposed to be angry…!_

Everyone around them, at least, according to Sora, can probably feel the foreboding start of a terrible fight so out of the corner of his eye he sees passersby drawing further away from them for safety. Roxas doesn't even have the energy left to slam his locker, so instead he shuts it as he normally does and dares to walk away like Sora isn't there. _There's no time for feeling nervous now, self. It's really now or never._

"Hey! Roxas, where do you think you're going, stop, STOP!" the brunette yells at him, grabbing the guy's hand to keep him from escaping.

"Please leave me alone."

"NO! I'm not leaving you alone even if you sell my soul to the devil! God, Roxas, you know I don't like seeing you like this." Sora tells the blonde's back. "'T h-hurts. **Hurts** s-so much, s-seeing my best friend so miserable and… it's all because of _me_." The brunette's voice is as quiet as can be when he says this, remnants of his fear resurfacing in his heart. Why does this have to be so difficult…?

He hears Roxas sputter indignantly in front of him, pulling at the hand Sora still had at his grasp to free it. The nonchalance in the former's tone is so cold, it makes Sora want to give up, give up like he should. "You don't know hurt, Sora. So why don't you go back to Xion and forget I ever existed, because I'll certainly do so as well. Now if you'll excuse me…"

"NO! You have to stay with me, damn you! **WITH ME!** W-What are you on about, you jerk, y-you're still really trying to c-convince yourself and doubting my feelings for you because of something that's never happened and never will?" Sora lets out a pained sigh. He rejoins their hands together and pulls the Strife teen aside where no one can see them before taking out one of the presents in his bag. The heart-shaped Ferrero Rocher box seems to capture Roxas' attention because he makes a small noise at the back of his throat.

"You wanted answers, right? It's why you came no matter what." Sora starts, his tone gentle. "Well, here is one of them."

He thrusts the box at the blonde's chest, feeling himself shake. "I hate Valentine's Day as much as you do, maybe less or more, and I do admit that it's a goddamn shitty day, huh. T-That's n-not f-for m-me from someone else, if that's what you're thinking. It's FROM me. For YOU. Because I know you love Ferrero Rocher so much. B-Bought them yesterday when Xion dropped me off at the mall and you got so angry and tried to dump me just like that."

Taking out the other one, Sora feels his nose start to hurt, and his azure eyes are beginning to water – telltale signs that's he about to burst into tears from THIS fear that he's going to lose everything in this moment alone. And he thrusts the second box at Roxas' chest too, confidence falling apart as he whispers, "I a-also g-got you a second one, b-because I thought you'd want to t-try t-the assorted f-flavours! F-Ferrero R-Rocher's pretty darn expensive, d-don't you think? I even had to make a loan from Xion because s-she thought I'd n-never have enough and she w-was right!"

"Sora–"

"I got you a card too, you know? It was the one t-thing I spent forever on b-because I wanted to get you the p-perfect one…not too girly or cutesy or the l-like… just… j-just Roxas. A Roxas-y card." Sora pulls the last item from his bag and begins to open it from the envelope. "Wasn't enough space to w-write anything but it's o-okay, I guess. Want me to r-read it to you? _I can think of LOTS of words to describe someone like you_ …" Pointing at the front of the dominantly red card, the azure-eyed teen dictates what's been written word for word to the unbelieving teen in front of him, smiling while he still could even when a tear escapes his eyes. The open-windowed card allows for one to see beyond its cover, so printed in block red letters within several pink hearts are the aforementioned descriptive words.

" _"Sexy"_ , _"Cutie"_ , _"Hottie"_ , _"Smarty"_ , _"Sweetie". But I can only think of ONE to describe me…_ " Sora giggles a little while reading, inwardly remembering how he'd done so just that morning. When Roxas is still as unresponsive as he'd been, the brown-haired boy takes his silence as a prompt to continue. He opens the card up to reveal its special pull-up mechanism: all the previous words within those hearts are replaced by one same descriptive word, as is dictated by the front.

" _ **Lucky**_ _._ " After reading, he hands the card over to its addressed owner, taking a few deep breaths to compose himself.

 **~o~**

 _10) I hate Valentine's Day because your feelings get so overwhelming, it's like filling a sink with water and the sink has a plug and there's nothing you can do to stop the water from running; nothing – and it just keeps running until the sink's full and it overflows and the water drips onto the floor and all over the kitchen until your entire house is flooded with it. When you love someone so much, you just can't… can't control those feelings. I hate not being in control of things._

Sora's not done confessing, because he feels as if those words alone won't be able to break down the walls Roxas has put around himself. "I know. It's cheesy. I had to go through a few others to see which one you might like but when I saw this one I knew this was it. Because I am **lucky**. I am so **lucky** having met you that day I tripped over in kindergarten. I am so **lucky** that even after eleven or so years, you've stuck by me despite the changes we went through as individuals. I am so **lucky** that even now you're standing next to me and not crying your heart out back home, and that instead of all the amazing people you could be with, you've chosen _me_ above everyone else to love with all your heart. As selfish as I sound saying it, I'm glad you love me and not anyone else, and I'm glad you don't like Valentine's Day because you're afraid you'd lose me. God, if it weren't for today, I wouldn't be saying any of this to you. I don't know what the heck I'm doing right now, or what I'm even saying right now, really." Sora bites his lip, azure eyes looking at his hands and all around the space underneath the corridor stairs where he'd chosen to drag the blonde to.

"You're so talented, and cool, and intelligent, and amazing, Roxas, and as your best friend I can justify all of this through the rough and happy times we've both gone through. So yes. I am **lucky** I have you. I want you to know that you're not alone, and that you've never been alone; that someone is here to love you, and have the guts to say so on this day. Even if that someone is me. I love you, Roxas. No matter what we go through and no matters who enters my life, you'll always be the best to me."

.

.

.

Sora can't wait anymore. He forgets that Roxas has been clutching his Valentine's gifts to his chest when he jumps at the blonde and hugs him, causing the silent teen to drop everything on the ground to catch him. Whether or not the heart-shaped boxes broke as they fell, Sora doesn't care. All he cares about is showing this person in front of him how much he loves him, oh, how long he's wanted to feel Roxas' heartbeat against his like this. When his arms wrap around the taller teen's neck, that's when he starts crying because all these emotions deep within him are too overwhelming for him to handle. Roxas' musky vanilla scent is too overwhelming to handle; the Strife teen's warmth and the feel of his body is too overwhelming to handle. He's not aware of it when his hands start to explore: caressing Roxas' face, untangling corn-coloured spikes, the feel of his chest and Roxas' back and arms and… _and…_

And Roxas pushes him away, the colour of his cheeks a bright red and his cerulean eyes cloudy with grief. The sound of footsteps is all over the place and it indicates the rushing of students – homeroom is about to begin soon.

"You're not playing me for a fool, are you Sora? This isn't a game you and Xion concocted to get me back for yesterday?" Roxas asks breathlessly. The accusation undoubtedly makes him gasp.

"Are… are… are you _serious_? Even after…a-all of that, and all of m-my hardships and e-everything I've just s-said, you still d-don't believe me?"

"I don't know what to believe anymore, Sora. How do I know I'm not dreaming and when I wake up, I'll still be crying alone in my bed, knowing full well that you've long since left?"

He doesn't fucking _know_ what else he has to do to convince Roxas, to get him to stop believing his own delusions. It brings more tears to his eyes because _great, this is it, it's really over._ It hurts, God, it hurts, hell, it hurts, hurts **hurts** HURTS, but one glance into the former's blinded blue orbs and Sora's positive there's a sliver of hope etched within there. And it's not only that because if Sora looks further, he can most definitely read into the silent challenge directed at him to take the next step and prove his love. In those eyes, he sees his own reflection, _eyes that have only been looking at him ever since…_

And it's those eyes that prompts him to move forward and kiss Roxas on the lips slowly, tasting sadness and finalities. But this finality is sweet. In no more than ten seconds, Roxas responds by kissing him back – desperately, their overwhelming desire wafting over them both.

"Sora, 'M sorry, 'M so sorry, 'M so stupid, c-can't… can't…" the blonde mutters to his lips, gasping for air before drawing Sora close to him again and pinning him against the closest wall, deepening their kiss. The brunette couldn't be any happier. When the person you've loved for more than a decade (despite the fact that you've only recently realized that your _love_ is beyond what you thought it to be) has you in their arms, adamant to never let go, you can't help or stop these feelings of content and joy. Sora doesn't know how long they kissed or who breaks it first. He just knows he'd do it all over and over again, now that he has a chance to do so whenever he pleases.

"You're mine, Sora." Roxas tells him, kissing him on the cheek and on the nose and on the forehead and at the back of his ear to further justify that statement.

"I know, Rox. And you're mine," the Leonhart teen replies. "I can't live without you… so please, _please_ don't leave me, ever."

"Never."

They start giggling at each other afterwards, simply pulling faces and making jokes at how ridiculous they looked and are, being all teary-eyed and emo-shit dramatic like that. Sora pokes the top of Roxas' nose and Roxas licks him on the cheek, making him squeal in surprise.

"Rox, have you heard the bell yet? I've got Music first today."

"Oh shit, right, god damn it, I totally forgot." The cerulean-eyed teen takes a step back and picks up his fallen gifts, as well as both their school bags. "Not that I really care because as far as I'm concerned I'd prefer to do this for the rest of the day over learning." He steals another kiss from his now-boyfriend and fixes his brown hair a little. The bags in their eyes are so obvious, but they both appear less miserable now that they have each other. _Finally... Finally finally finally!_

"I know. But we have the whole day…" Sora coos. "I've got a proposition to you though, just for today."

"Hmm?"

The corridor is deserted when they emerge like the outcasts they are from underneath the gap of the first floor stairs. Sora just has to go up a level and turn right for Music while the Strife teen has to get to another building for History. "If you'll be my valentine this year, you'll have to take me out on a date afterschool. I didn't think I'd get this far so I didn't plan anything further ahead."

"That's all?"

"And you'll have to invite me back to your home. If I'm aware, that's our destination today."

"Anything else?" Roxas grins at him, their hands intertwined when he squeezes back gently.

"Hmm, dunno yet. Sleepover? If you know what I mean…" Winking playfully, Sora breaks free and runs up the stairs heading up to his class. He carefully studies the blonde's reaction when he turns around and grins at how scarlet he's gone.

"Seriously, Sora? You're really talking about _sleepovers_ with me of all people? How evil."

"What? Can't the angel want to play once in a while? I am in love with a devil, after all."

"You have no idea what you're doing to me right now, do you?"

Sora shakes his head and shrugs. "Gotta go, meet you at recess. Do we have a deal?"

"Fine, fine, whatever. Happy Valentine's Day dear, thanks for the presents." his best friend beams at him, the light in his eyes mimicking the sun. It really warms Sora's heart to hear the older teen say that and see him snap back into the Roxas he's always adored. Not the Valentine-hating, jealous and delusional, grouchy grump he is, but the sweet, ever-so-selfless, doting, appreciative individual he'll never get tired of. Deep down though, Sora loves Roxas either way.

"Better start thinking what to give me this afternoon! I love you!" the brunette shouts to him, proud to declare to the world just how much that boy meant to him.

"I love you too!"

 **~o~**

 _P.S. Even with all those reasons, I guess Valentine's Day is not so bad. It's actually pretty alright because now I have someone to share all those hardships with, and I'd do it all over and over again, every year for the rest of my life._


End file.
